Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The dark, seductive conclusion to the thrilling Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy!In
the final book in the trilogy, Cass and Luca are back in Venice trying
to find the Book of the Eternal Rose to clear Luca's name and keep them
both out of prison. But the hunters become the hunted when the Order of
the Eternal Rose figures out their plan. Filled with twists and turns,
danger and torrid romances, this novel brings the Secrets of the Eternal
Rose novels to a thrilling, heart-pounding, sexy conclusion.Like
the description says, this really was a heart-pounding conclusion!
Once I started reading I really didn't want to put it down. It has
constant action and very little time to sit back and read. I liked this
though and it kept me reading when other books have lost my interest
because of their slower pace.

This review was first featured at Candace's Book Blog in March 2014.The streets and canals of Venice in this time period are vibrant
and alive. It's easy to imagine the setting itself, but also all the
people within it, even those that are just passersby.

Cass has
always felt like a strong character to me. While she might be slightly
torn in where her heart lies, she knows strongly in her heart what is
right and wrong. When she knows people are being killed she knows she
will do anything to save them. To bring down this Order even if she has
to do it by herself. Her strength shone in Belladonna but it came
through very much in this one as well. There was a time or two that I
wasn't so sure she knew what she was doing, making some rash decisions,
possibly putting trust into the hands of people she maybe shouldn't.
But in the end she really came through and I enjoyed her growth in this
one.

A large amount of her growth was obvious in the romantic
sense. She had to make a decision about who she loves. We may have
thought she already decided, but there are things that come into play
here that we don't quite know for sure. Fortunately, she does. While
I'm not a big fan of a love triangle, this felt like a realistic one. I
can't get into it without spoilers, but you have to remember the
teenage heart and how easily it is to get swept up into romance. How it
all played out left me happy.

I'm sad to see the series end but I'm very happy with this conclusion. I most definitely recommend this series!

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes, all opinions
expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

In
the second in the stunning Secrets of the Eternal Rose series,
Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran
off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé,
Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he’s arrested by
soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown
into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the
Eternal Rose—the only evidence that will prove he’s innocent.

So
begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism,
secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal
Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order’s eerily stunning
leader, the Belladonna herself.

Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.

This review was first featured at Candace's Book Blog in June, 2013.
I love, love, love the setting and time period of these books! But
that's not all, I also love the characters and the mystery. The books
tend to suck me in immediately and don't spit me out until the end. The
first book takes place in Venice in it's entirety and this one brought
us to Florence for a good chunk of it. I do love Venice but it was
interesting to see a bit more in this one, to have some new scenery and
some new characters for awhile.

The book starts out with a bang and Cass is immediately needing to save
Luca from certain death. This lends a sense of urgency to the book as
we are with her as she makes the journey to Florence where she's sent on
a wild goose chase to try to figure things out. While in Florence she
starts unraveling some mysteries, and discovering some new ones. She
also 'runs into' Falco, her love interest from the first book (not a
spoiler). Cass is extremely determined to save Luca and will do
anything. This leads to some not-so-smart choices but also some
extremely brave ones. At times I was torn about whether I wanted to
shake her for this, or wanted to hug her for her bravery. I did feel
that there were a few things she should have figured out and maybe
avoided, like she was a bit too trusting of people that she originally
knew not to trust. However, this was a very minor issue for me and one I
got over quickly. I admired Cass for her strength and determination
and the lengths she would go to for a man she cared for but wasn't sure
whether she loved (at least romantically).

I had some mixed feelings about the romance in this one. I loved Falco
in the first book though he was a bit TOO mysterious at times, I really
loved his character. In this one I felt like I really wanted more from
him but he just wasn't very present and he didn't give much to Cass. He
seemed more like he was into her more physically and that's more where
his love for her lay, in her body and not so much just for HER. Luca on
the other hand, while not on the page real often, was definitely a
character I loved when he was there. I wasn't a big Luca fan in the
first one but now I'm more mixed up inside. While I'm not a love
triangle fan, this is a love triangle that I think actually works. It's
realistic and I 'get' why Cass likes each of them. I think her heart
belongs to one, and I think I know which one, but I do have mixed
feelings about it and get how and why things may or may not work for
each of them.

The mystery of it all still has a ways to go. We uncovered a lot of
stuff but this is a complicated thing and there's no rushing it. It's
secret society secrets and takes some digging for things to come
together. I am VERY anxious to see where things go in the next book.
Don't worry about a cliffhanger though, the main issues in this book are
resolved (at least enough for now).

This book is pretty dark. There's lots of death and scary things
happening. It wasn't depressing though and never seemed heavy to me. I
read the book quickly and shed a tear or two before I finished. I
recommend this book to mature YA readers that enjoy historical fiction.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of
this book from a blogger who hadn't read the series, it was a gift. All
opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any
way.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Cassandra Caravello is
one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling
jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a
girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt
trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine
canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered
woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world
of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself
falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a
spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before
he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her
uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and
mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and
surprising as the city of Venice itself.

This review was first featured at Candace's Book Blog in October of 2012.Venom showed up in my mailbox completely unexpected. I
remember seeing the book around but it wasn't on my wishlist and I'm not
even sure I knew what it was about. So when I saw the beautiful cover I
was excited, but once I read the description I was super excited!
Renaissance Venice?! I mean can you have a more romantic setting?! I'm
not sure I have read a book from that time and place but I knew it
would be a fascinating setting. I immediately started reading (yep, the
moment I opened the package!) and was drawn into the gorgeous time
period and setting immediately.

Cassandra has been raised by a strict Catholic aunt who is very strict
and proper. This has made Cass feel very alone. When she finds a
murdered girl and meets a new boy the very same night she is thrust into
a world of adventure. It's scary, but she's finally feeling alive.
She starts discovering the underbelly of Venice, the courtesan houses,
the artists, and all these people and places she's never been allowed
near. Her and Falco (the guy she meets the night she found the murdered
girl) spend nights trying to uncover the mystery and things just keep
getting spookier as more girls disappear.

Falco is an artist and he has a light hearted way about him. He says
what he thinks whether it's proper or not and it's not long before Cass
is falling for him. He has a lot of mysteries about him though and this
was something that I had figured out long before it was revealed. I
thought the clues were obvious but Cass didn't see them and I think it
was just because of the way she was brought up, she never knew anything
about this kind of thing. I didn't mind knowing, but was eager for Cass
to know and understand.

I really liked Cass and Falco but I always felt like Falco's personality
was held back somehow. Like his true self didn't shine through as much
as it could have. He still pulled some very romantic moves and kissing
in a gondola? Most romantic setting EVER. So I liked the romance in
the book quite a lot. I also liked that Cass, who was sheltered her
whole life, was okay with doing things that she knew was improper.
While she thought it was improper, she did it anyway and didn't hate
herself for it too much.

The main mystery was one I didn't figure out. I kept guessing but in
the end I was completely wrong. And I thought it was actually clever
how the author finished it. The mystery is semi solved, but there are
threads left hanging for the next book. However it's not a true
cliffhanger. On the other side of things the romance was left open.
Cass is engaged to another man and has to choose between him and Falco.
I believe it's clear who her heart belongs to, but her arranged
marriage is what everyone expects of her and this keeps her torn. As
well as the fact that her fiance seems to be a truly good person. And
while the ending didn't feel like the romance left us hanging it wasn't
resolved either. She managed to do it in a way that I felt satisfied
but yet I was dying for more.

After reading this book I'm eager to read more about the Renaissance
period. The styles were fascinating and I'm looking forward to doing
some googling to learn more about them. I also loved the setting of
Venice and look forward to more books set in this gorgeous and romantic
city!

I definitely recommend this book! It's a hefty book at over 400 pages,
but it took me just over a day to read because I found it difficult to
put down. Even though the beginning was slower paced it was still
fascinating and the second half when things really started happening I
was dying for more so nearly read straight through. I highly suggest
you pick this one up!

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes, all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

About the reviewer: Candace is a wife and mother to two. She’s blogged at Candace’s Book Blog
since November 2008. She enjoys a variety of genres including anything
and everything young adult, some adult urban fantasy, a little bit of
adult paranormal romance, some historical fiction and reads lots of
childrens books. You can find her on her blog at http://www.candacesbookblog.com, twitter @candacemom2two and on goodreads.

About the Author:
Fiona Paul is a new resident to the PNW and her bio will be along shortly!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Hi. I'm Craig MacLachlan and I have some exciting news to share with everyone. My debut Young Adult novel, Summer's Shadow, released March 10th and is available for purchase online. If you are interested and decide to purchase a copy, I truly appreciate the support! This is just the start of things as I have a lot of promotion to do online and out in the community!

Here is what Summer's Shadow is about and where to purchase it:

When seventeen-year-old Sierra Winters watches her physical body sink to its death, she realizes a shining silver cord connects her two halves together, but it breaks off from her bellybutton, sinks with her body, and then everything changes when a mysterious boy named Valeck saves her life.

Sierra soon discovers she has stumbled upon a mysterious realm known as The Void, which is filled with mystery, intrigue, danger and love. But upon returning to The Void, she is met by a sinister man known as Maven Kodiak who can manipulate his surroundings into a sickening Rot. Maven wants the power of her silver cord all for himself so he can enter the physical world and conquer it.

And he will do anything to take Sierra's cord, even if it means her death.On the run from Maven, Sierra struggles to understand her abilities and powers which yield some surprising results. As she and Valeck fall in love, Sierra discovers he is keeping a vital secret from her.Can Sierra be happy sharing her life between both realms, or will she be forced to choose one over the other forever?

But nothing in Sierra’s life will matter if she doesn't find a way to stop the maniac hunting for her.

Purchase Summer's Shadow at Amazon or Barnes & NobleThanks for stopping by Craig! We look forward to reading Summer's Shadow!